Ideas for Yrth

[LoneWolf23k]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

But who is doing the Reversing and to what goal? Maybe the boss is a good guy or maybe he's a monster. It's a good set up for a twist ending.

The most likely suspect are a group of Dark Elves, working on the premise of "sending those Banestorm Immigrants back to where they came from, or at the very least anywhere but here." And doing so, uncaring of the potential consequences, be they sending millions of people to disappear to Eternal-knows-where, or potentially risking another spell failure that might unleash something far worse.

Like, say, ripping open a portal to a Hell Dimension and unleashing a Demonic Invasion onto Yrth, or some such nonsense.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

But who is doing the Reversing and to what goal? Maybe the boss is a good guy or maybe he's a monster. It's a good set up for a twist ending.

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

The most likely suspect are a group of Dark Elves, working on the premise of "sending those Banestorm Immigrants back to where they came from, or at the very least anywhere but here." And doing so, uncaring of the potential consequences, be they sending millions of people to disappear to Eternal-knows-where, or potentially risking another spell failure that might unleash something far worse.

Like, say, ripping open a portal to a Hell Dimension and unleashing a Demonic Invasion onto Yrth, or some such nonsense.

Other possible candidates include:

• Underground engineers convinced that contact with earth will achieve their goals.
• Non-humans trying to make contact with the old country. The most likely candidates here are goblins, trying to get to Gabrook. The Sharkmen have a great desire to reach Olokun, but would have to be very sneaky about getting people to help them.
• A mercantile group with monetary motives. They want to re-establish gate magic on Yrth so they can trade more easily (and thus more lucratively). This could be a Yrth based-group, or it could be an outside group whose members got stuck and are looking for a way home.
• A group of academic scholars with too much time on their hands (a sweet front for one of the other groups)

[Astromancer]

Here's another idea, partially inspired by an Italian Sci-Fi film so badly dubbed I never really understood the plot, but the actor playing the alien chieftain had massive charisma (and a nice bod).

The Banestorm brings a new sophont species to Yttarria. These people bear a slight resemblance to the Goblins. They are green-skinned and have pointed ears, but they are well-muscled and look like romanticized images of barbarian warriors, except for the green skin, pointed ears, laughing eyes, and cultured voices. Although they look like TL2 barbarians, these folks, the Viridi, are sophisticated and cosmopolitan.

The Viridi are aggressive and power-seeking, Still, they are good-natured. Many Elves and Dwarfs say the Viridi are like humans just much more so.

Basically, the Viridi are in competition with humanity for the roles of generalists, social engineers, and hero of the story. So play with the PCs heads.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The Banestorm brings a new sophont species to Yttarria. These people bear a slight resemblance to the Goblins. They are green-skinned and have pointed ears, but they are well-muscled and look like romanticized images of barbarian warriors, except for the green skin, pointed ears, laughing eyes, and cultured voices.

Everybody except the Goblins thinks they are and treats them as another Goblin tribe or subspecies. They are more similar to "standard" Goblins in appearance than their well-known relative the Hobgoblins are, musculature notwithstanding. Based on the description, I'd give them Attractive base Appearance (Universal +25%) [5], with Classic Features (Green-Skin Frazetta Model) [1] for a big bonus to impress people who are hot for that specific body type and also not xenophobic or racially intolerant.

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Although they look like TL2 barbarians, these folks, the Viridi, are sophisticated and cosmopolitan.

If their racial average IQ is 10+ and they lack the isolationist streak of the Nomads, they're probably going to assimilate to TL 3 pretty quick.

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The Viridi are aggressive and power-seeking, Still, they are good-natured. Many Elves and Dwarfs say the Viridi are like humans just much more so.

Basically, the Viridi are in competition with humanity for the roles of generalists, social engineers, and hero of the story. So play with the PCs heads.

In order to even begin to compete in that manner, there needs to be a whole lot of them...

[Prince Charon]

Imagine, if you will, an alternate Yrth where the Banestorm happened over a thousand years earlier (or accessed an Earth that had an earlier present), and some Roman settlements got swept up, mostly between 50 BCE and 150 CE, with Present Day around 920 CE (1673 AUC). The city of Nova Roma was founded around where Megalos would be on mainline Yrth, and this Rome is a republic. Christians are present in-setting, but are not in the majority outside Areterrium - a version of the classical Roman state religion is dominant in the Republic.

[Alden Loveshade]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Do you guys like the idea of importing aspects of the Dungeon Fantasy line into Yrth?

Originally Posted by jason taylor

The first book did not mention Fair Folk. It mentioned elves but those are more like romanticized hunter-gatherers than babynapping spooks. Maybe the Dark Elves were how those legends came about and maybe they are still active kidnapping mortals for evil witchery?

I sort of remember sea-elves.

Gee, maybe somebody (cough) has a GURPS book awaiting playtest that touches on possibilities for these things....

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Alden Loveshade

Gee, maybe somebody (cough) has a GURPS book awaiting playtest that touches on possibilities for these things....

A lot of that can be borrowed from Faerie.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Everybody except the Goblins thinks they are and treats them as another Goblin tribe or subspecies. They are more similar to "standard" Goblins in appearance than their well-known relative the Hobgoblins are, musculature notwithstanding. Based on the description, I'd give them Attractive base Appearance (Universal +25%) [5], with Classic Features (Green-Skin Frazetta Model) [1] for a big bonus to impressing people who are hot for that specific body type and also not xenophobic or racially intolerant.

Franzetta style barbarians are the look. The women, in spite of the Green skin, are conventionally pretty (See Orion women, Star Trek) the men, with some exceptions, tend to have faces better described as ruggedly masculine and likable. All members of this species have +2 Charisma.

If their racial average IQ is 10+ and they lack the isolationist streak of the Nomads, they're probably going to assimilate to TL 3 pretty quick.

They're TL4 they just don't look the part. They have the Merchant skill and the Expert Skill: Finance, at TL5 (not all of them of course.) They get plus one to IQ and the Versitle and Senitive advantages.

In order to even begin to compete in that manner, there needs to be a whole lot of them...

A fair number showed up in the storm. The women have the "Easy Childbirth" Perk, both sexes have Logevity and Extended Life 1. It's not odd for the Viridi to live to 180+ and they have the Early Maturity 1 advantage. So their numbers can grow dramatically.

[Rolando]

Those advantages as a specie can make a big change fast. Longevity, higher tech (not just machinery, mindset and society), easy childbirth means probably fast population growth, and they are not seen as a direct, immediate menace because they are likable.

They will overrun and replace humans. It may be better for other races, though, it will depend on how likable they are.

It is interesting as a "good guys invasion scenario".

[Alden Loveshade]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

A lot of that can be borrowed from Faerie.

Even though it's Third Edition GURPS so that some things like templates would require a little translating to Fourth Edition, much of GURPS Faerie could be easily used in a Fourth Edition campaign, including one set on Yrth.